Eastern Asia · UN member
China: Travel Guide & Requirements
People's Republic of China · 中华人民共和国
China is a country in Eastern Asia with its capital in Beijing. It has a population of 1.41 billion (#2 in the world) and covers 9,596,960 km². The official language is Chinese. The currency is the Chinese yuan (CNY, ¥).
Where is China? Map of China
Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam.
- Region
- Eastern Asia
- Coordinates
- 35° N, 105° E
- Neighbours
- 14 — see list
- Coastline
- 14,500 km
- China
- Neighbours
- Capital
- Largest cities
Map of China showing Beijing (capital) and the largest cities: Shanghai, Chongqing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Wuhan and Xi’an.
Travel requirements
What you need to travel to China
- Passport
The Chinese Embassy in the US says visa applicants' passports must have more than 6 months of remaining validity and at least 2 blank visa pages.
- Visa or eTA
Depends on your passport: of 198 passports, 78 need no visa, 120 need a visa from an embassy. Check yours or see China entry requirements for every passport.
- Return or onward ticket
China's National Immigration Administration says visa-free transit passengers need an onward ticket with a confirmed date and itinerary to a third country or region.
- Proof of funds
No official requirement. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says visa-free entry is subject to examination and approval by border inspection authorities, and recommends taking documents such as invitation letters, air tickets and accommodation…
- Travel insurance
No official requirement. The UK Foreign Office says healthcare is not free in China and can be very expensive, and to make sure you have appropriate travel and medical insurance covering healthcare and medical evacuation and repatriation.
- Vaccinations
WHO's country list says China requires proof of yellow fever vaccination from travellers aged 9 months or over arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission, and from travellers who transited for more t…
- Customs allowance
No official requirement.
- Travel advice
Some caution needed — US and UK advice.
Entry rules: TravelRequirements.info — Entry Requirements Dataset (CC BY 4.0), each rule cited to an official government source. Always confirm with the airline and the official source before you travel.
Before you go
10 things to know before you travel to China
- Safety: China is generally safe for travellers, but some caution is needed: the US State Department rates China Level 2 (“Exercise Increased Caution”), and the UK Foreign Office has no warnings against travel there.
- Best time to go: April to May and September — when daytime highs in Beijing are around 22–29°C.
- Money: the Chinese yuan (CNY) — 1 US dollar is about 6.6698 CNY.
- Plugs: type A and I, 220 V, 50 Hz — standard 220–240 V: devices from the US or Japan (110–120 V) need a converter unless they are dual voltage (100–240 V).
- Emergency numbers: Police 110, Ambulance 120, Fire 119.
- Language: Chinese is official.
- Driving: on the right — speed limits are 50 km/h in built-up areas, 70 km/h outside built-up areas and 120 km/h on motorways.
- Time zone: UTC+8 in Beijing.
- Capital: Beijing; the largest city is Shanghai. About 1.41 billion people live in China.
- China is the 4th largest country in the world by area.
Key facts
China at a glance
Languages spoken: Standard Chinese or Mandarin (official; Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages; note - Zhuang is official in Guangxi Zhuang, Yue is official in Guangdong, Mongolian is official in Nei Mongol, Uyghur is official in Xinjiang Uygur, Kyrgyz is official in Xinjiang Uyghur,…
Geography & history
About China
China's historical civilization dates to at least the 13th century B.C., first under the Shang (to 1046 B.C.) and then the Zhou (1046-221 B.C.) dynasties. The imperial era of China began in 221 B.C. under the Qin Dynasty and lasted until the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912. During this period, China alternated between periods of unity and disunity under a succession of imperial dynasties. In the 19th century, the Qing Dynasty suffered heavily from overextension by territorial conquest, insolvency, civil war, imperialism, military defeats, and foreign expropriation of ports and infrastructure. It collapsed following the Revolution of 1911, and China became a republic under SUN Yat-sen of th…
Read the full history
China's historical civilization dates to at least the 13th century B.C., first under the Shang (to 1046 B.C.) and then the Zhou (1046-221 B.C.) dynasties. The imperial era of China began in 221 B.C. under the Qin Dynasty and lasted until the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1912. During this period, China alternated between periods of unity and disunity under a succession of imperial dynasties. In the 19th century, the Qing Dynasty suffered heavily from overextension by territorial conquest, insolvency, civil war, imperialism, military defeats, and foreign expropriation of ports and infrastructure. It collapsed following the Revolution of 1911, and China became a republic under SUN Yat-sen of the Kuomintang (KMT or Nationalist) Party. However, the republic was beset by division, warlordism, and continued foreign intervention. In the late 1920s, a civil war erupted between the ruling KMT-controlled government, led by CHIANG Kai-shek, and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Japan occupied much of northeastern China in the early 1930s, and then launched a full-scale invasion of the country in 1937. The resulting eight years of warfare devastated the country and cost up to 20 million Chinese lives by the time of Japan’s defeat in 1945. The Nationalist-Communist civil war continued with renewed intensity after the end of World War II and culminated with a CCP victory in 1949, under the leadership of MAO Zedong. MAO and the CCP established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring the PRC's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and launched agricultural, economic, political, and social policies -- such as the Great Leap Forward (1958-1962) and the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) -- that cost the lives of millions of people. MAO died in 1976. Beginning in 1978, leaders DENG Xiaoping, JIANG Zemin, and HU Jintao focused on market-oriented economic development and opening up the country to foreign trade, while maintaining the rule of the CCP. Since the change, China has been among the world’s fastest growing economies, with real gross domestic product averaging over 9% growth annually through 2021, lifting an estimated 800 million people out of poverty and dramatically improving overall living standards. By 2011, the PRC’s economy was the second largest in the world. Current leader XI Jinping has continued these policies but has also maintained tight political controls. Over the past decade, China has increased its global outreach, including military deployments, participation in international organizations, and a global connectivity plan in 2013 called the "Belt and Road Initiative" (BRI). Many nations have signed on to BRI agreements to attract PRC investment, but others have expressed concerns about such issues as the opaque nature of the projects, financing, and potentially unsustainable debt obligations. XI Jinping assumed the positions of General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and Chairman of the Central Military Commission in 2012 and President in 2013. In 2018, the PRC’s National People’s Congress passed an amendment abolishing presidential term limits, which allowed XI to gain a third five-year term in 2023.
Location
Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam
Climate
extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north
Terrain
mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east
Highest point
Mount Everest (highest peak in Asia and highest point on earth above sea level) 8,849 m
Natural resources
coal, iron ore, helium, petroleum, natural gas, arsenic, bismuth, cobalt, cadmium, ferrosilicon, gallium, germanium, hafnium, indium, lithium, mercury, tantalum, tellurium, tin, titanium, tungsten, antimony, manganese, magnesium, molybdenum, selenium, stronti…
Natural hazards
frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts; land subsidence volcanism: China contains some historically active volcanoes including Changbaishan (also known as Baitoushan, Baegdu,…
National symbols
dragon, giant panda
Driving
Speed limits & road rules in China
The default speed limits in China are 50 km/h in built-up areas, 70 km/h outside built-up areas and 120 km/h on motorways. The legal alcohol limit for drivers is 0.2‰. Posted signs always take priority over these defaults.
- 5050 km/hBuilt-up areasTowns and cities
- 7070 km/hOutside built-up areasCountry roads
- 120120 km/hMotorwaysMotorways / freeways
- International Driving PermitNot a party to the IDP conventionsCheck with the embassy whether your licence is accepted
- Driving sideDrive on the rightOvertake on the left
- Alcohol limit0.2‰ blood alcohol (0.02% BAC)
- Seat beltsRequired by law
- Child seatsNo national child-restraint law
- Motorcycle helmetsRequired for riders
- Road deaths (2021)17.4 per 100,000 peopleHigher than most countries (median 12.4)
Speed limits: OpenStreetMap wiki — Default speed limits (CC BY-SA 2.0). Road-safety laws: WHO Global Health Observatory. Compare speed limits and alcohol limits by country. Defaults for cars; local signs, weather and vehicle type can lower them.
Safety
Is China safe to visit?
China is generally safe for travellers, but some caution is needed: the US State Department rates China Level 2 (“Exercise Increased Caution”), and the UK Foreign Office has no warnings against travel there.
US State Department
UK Foreign Office (FCDO)Latest update: "Updated information on Warnings and insurance"
Updated 27 Aug 2026 · Full travel advice
Sources: US Department of State travel advisories (public domain) and UK FCDO foreign travel advice (contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0). Checked daily. Advice can change quickly — always read the official page before you travel.
Weather
Best time to visit China
The best time to visit China is April to May and September, when daytime highs in Beijing are around 22–29°C. October is also a good time to go. July is the warmest month (32°C by day), January the coldest (-11°C at night), and July the wettest with about 151 mm of rain.
- Jan1°C-11°C
- Feb4°C-8°C
- Mar13°C-3°C
- Apr22°C5°C
- May29°C12°C
- Jun32°C18°C
- Jul32°C21°C
- Aug31°C19°C
- Sep26°C13°C
- Oct19°C5°C
- Nov9°C-3°C
- Dec1°C-9°C
Best time Good Less ideal
Before you go
Plugs, voltage & emergency numbers in China
Plugs & sockets
220 V, 50 Hz · Standard 220–240 V: devices from the US or Japan (110–120 V) need a converter unless they are dual voltage (100–240 V).
Emergency numbers
Save the local numbers before you travel — 112 or 911 may not connect here. All countries →
Sources: Wikipedia — Mains electricity by country and List of emergency telephone numbers (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Ski resorts
290 ski resorts in China
- 872 km of slopes
- 620 lifts
- up to 4,502 m
Biggest: 禾木（吉克普林）国际滑雪度假区 · Beidahu Ski Resort · 松花湖滑雪场
National parks
38 national parks in China
- 58,133 km² protected
- oldest from 1978
Largest: Giant Panda National Park · Kalamaili National Park · Northeastern Tiger and Leopard National Park
Currency · 26 October 2026
Chinese yuan exchange rates today
China uses the Chinese yuan (CNY, ¥). One US dollar buys 6.6698 CNY; over the last 30 days the CNY has gained 0.6% against the dollar.
What other currencies cost in CNY
Currency converter
Daily reference rates from the open-source currency-api (CC0), 26 Oct 2026. Banks and exchange offices add a margin.
World rankings
Where China ranks
How China compares with the rest of the world — open any card for the full ranking.
Airports
Airports in China
717 airports and airfields — 69 large, 265 medium and 246 small, plus 132 heliports. 264 have scheduled passenger flights.
Borders
Neighbouring countries
China borders 14 countries along 22,457 km of land borders. Coastline: 14,500 km.
Military
Chinese armed forces
China ranks #3 of 145 in the Global Firepower military strength ranking, with a defence budget of $335.5 billion (2025).
People
Population & society
Religion
Largest cities: Shanghai (29.2 million), Beijing (21.8 million), Chongqing (17.3 million), Guangzhou (14.3 million), Tianjin (14.2 million)
Economy
Economy
Main industries
world leader in gross value of industrial output; mining and ore processing, iron, steel, aluminum, and other metals, coal; machine building; armaments; textiles and apparel; petroleum; cement; chemicals; fertilizer; co…
Export partners
USA 13%, Hong Kong 8%, Japan 5%, Germany 5%, S. Korea 4% (2023)
Top exports
broadcasting equipment, computers, integrated circuits, garments, machine parts (2023)
Travel tools
Handy before every trip to China
Next public holiday
New Year's Day — Friday, 1 January 2027. Then Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) (6 Feb).
Chinese passport
Ranked #115: 43 countries visa-free, 38 with visa on arrival, 5 with an eTA and 28 with an eVisa.
Chinese passport photo
Exact size, head position and background for China's passport and visa photos — make one free with AI checks.
Calling China
Dial +86 before the local number. Internet domain .cn.
Climate footprint
12,289.0 million tonnes of CO₂ in 2024 — 8.66 t per person.
Entry requirements
Visa rules for every passport visiting China: visa-free stays, eVisas, visas on arrival and documents to bring.
News
Latest travel news about China
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Frequently asked questions about China
What do I need to travel to China?
How long must my passport be valid for China?
Where is China?
What is China known for?
What is the capital of China?
What language is spoken in China?
What currency does China use?
What is the calling code of China?
Which countries border China?
How strong is the Chinese passport?
What is the speed limit in China?
Is China safe to visit?
When is the best time to visit China?
What plug type does China use?
How many airports does China have?
Sources: CIA World Factbook (public domain); World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0); names, languages and currencies: mledoze/countries (ODbL); flag: flag-icons (MIT); coat of arms: Wikimedia Commons (file page); exchange rates: Daily reference rates from the open-source currency-api (CC0); airports: OurAirports.